Chapter 317 What qualifies as a big deal?
"Why did you transfer cannon-casting craftsmen from the royal workshops to the Temple?"
"Didn't you say you were no longer in charge of the Royal Workshop? Besides... the Royal Workshop is my Royal Workshop. Do I need to ask you for permission to do whatever I want?"
"The cannons were a gift from Qin Mo to the Great Xia to defend against the orcs. How can the Holy Temple take such a powerful weapon? What exactly is your deal with the Holy Temple?"
"A scheme? How many lives have been lost to orcs in the Western Continent over the past thousand years! The Temple sought the art of cannons to defend against the orcs. Great Xia is a celestial empire, and for the safety of all people... how could I keep such a secret!"
“…”
Wang Yushi originally did not intend to see Emperor Zhaowu again before leaving, but her confidant in the royal workshop came to tell her that Emperor Zhaowu had secretly taken away several cannon-casting craftsmen with the people of the temple, and then their families disappeared as well.
Recalling that the Holy Temple had been demanding cannon manufacturing technology, Wang Yushi immediately understood what had happened. She had brought the cannon technology back to the Imperial Court from Qin Mo, but now Emperor Zhaowu had given it away, leaving Wang Yushi extremely resentful.
What angered him even more was Emperor Zhaowu's hypocritical attitude. The royal workshop's cannon-casting technology was developed entirely by Wang Yushi, who led the exploration and experimentation, and no one knew how much money she had invested in the process.
With Emperor Zhaowu's tacit approval and support, the Ministry of Works of the Great Xia Dynasty also began casting cannons to compete with Wang Yushi, and even won a large number of military orders. Why don't you send people from the Ministry of Works' workshops to Xizhou now?
"Yu Shi, I think it's right for you to stop worrying about those mundane matters. As the Empress of Great Xia, you should take it upon yourself to ensure the peace and tranquility of the harem!"
"You mean... that the harem is going to be in turmoil?"
"Liu Ming'er and Han Fuxue are both about to give birth! As the head of the harem, you should set an example for them!"
Just as Wang Yushi was about to get angry, Emperor Zhaowu changed the subject, to one that made Wang Yushi even more agitated.
"They're both about to give birth... what does that have to do with me? Consort Liu came to me saying she wanted to raise the children herself, and I've already agreed to that!"
"Those are all minor matters. Yu Shi, have you ever thought about it? Our Great Xia ancestral teaching is that a mother's status depends on her son. If they give birth to a prince, there will inevitably be turmoil in the harem. Although you are the Empress, I... cannot be too biased!" Emperor Zhaowu felt that it was becoming increasingly difficult to communicate with Wang Yu Shi. Her cultivation level of the Heavenly Realm was making it hard for him to breathe.
He couldn't very well say, "If you don't give me a child, I'll have my concubines bully you to death!" If he did, Wang Yushi would probably send both of his concubines back to their hometowns immediately, and might even drag Qin Han down with them.
"I don't care about the Empress's position. If any of them want to sit there, I'll give it up!"
After Wang Yushi finished speaking disdainfully, she turned and left. The outflow of Great Xia's artillery technology was a foregone conclusion, and she was powerless to stop it. However, she had to let Emperor Zhaowu know her stance, otherwise, who knew how much trouble would follow. Wang's workshop had already begun mass-producing new firearms! If such a thing happened again, it would be the worst possible situation.
"Yu Shi, don't you want to have your own child?" Emperor Zhaowu couldn't help but call out as he watched Wang Yu Shi about to leave. He had laid so much groundwork, but in fact, he still wanted to try one more time.
Having seen all the beauty of spring in the world, Wang Yushi was the one he most wanted to pluck! As an emperor, he had already lowered his status to the extreme.
Unfortunately, Wang Yushi's back didn't even tremble, and that kind of disregard made Emperor Zhaowu's heart bleed, yet he was helpless.
Emperor Zhaowu could feel that his most precious possession had left him, or rather... he had never truly possessed it.
"Hehehe! Since you don't care, then... let me give you a few more troubles!"
He took a small stone bottle out of his pocket, uncorked it, and that familiar, intense fragrance filled the entire hall.
Emperor Zhaowu took a breath of the fragrant air, and every cell in his body began to tremble. That irresistible primal urge excited him once again.
"Someone, summon Yuling, Ailing, and Zhiling... to serve you in bed!"
Emperor Zhaowu swallowed the steaming vapor from the bottle in one gulp. The immense vitality washed over and nourished his withered, vine-like body, causing him to groan repeatedly.
"The more children I have, the less secure your position as Empress will be. Even if this Fountain of Life is poison... I will accept it!"
Emperor Zhaowu looked at his reflection in the mirror, admiring the dramatic transformation of his appearance, and revealed a lewd smile.
What he didn't know was that he wasn't drinking the real Fountain of Life, but rather genuine "poison."
After Qin Mo met Xiao Xiya in the Western Regions, she found a private opportunity to scold her, saying that she had sent a message to prevent the Great Xia Imperial Family from obtaining the Fountain of Life, and what had she done?
Xiao Xiya was stunned; she had no idea! After receiving Qin Mo's message, she immediately sealed all the Fountain of Life, determined not to let it fall into the hands of outsiders.
Qin Mo was also puzzled when he saw Xiao Xiya's aggrieved look. He remembered that Wang Yushi had asked him why the Fountain of Life that Emperor Zhaowu drank was different from the "strong liquor" that Qin Mo had given her.
Qin Mo described to Xiao Xiya what the misty, vibrant spring of life looked like, and Xiao Xiya immediately knew what it was.
"That was the cursed Fountain of Life! So the culprit was a Great Xia person! How hateful!"
Shia explained to Qin Mo that his subordinate had been murdered in Genoa and that a drop of his life essence had been lost. The life essence that radiated vitality was actually a poison cursed by the "Mermaid's Tears".
It induces the body's vitality to burn faster; those superficial, radiant reactions are all illusions, but the stimulation and pleasure it gives to the body in a short period of time are real.
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